1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a thread holding mechanism of a sewing machine which reduces the number of thread guiding positions, and which applies a tension to a thread to hold it. Moreover, the present disclosure relates to a needle threader of a sewing machine with the thread holding mechanism, and the sewing machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, various thread holding mechanisms and needle threaders have been proposed which are for threading a sewing needle of a sewing machine. For example, Japan Patent No. 4139843 discloses a thread holding mechanism of a needle threader which has a supplied thread guided by a thread guide provided at a lower part of a sewing needle, and is further guided by branched thread guides, thereby being held with a tension applied to the held thread. That is, the thread is guided by a total of three positions which are the thread guide and the two branched thread guides.
In the needle threader, the thread held by the thread holding mechanism with a tension is drawn from a needle hole by a guide passing through the needle hole. Hence, it is necessary for the thread to maintain a tensioned condition ahead of the needle hole, and according to the conventional technologies, as explained above, a thread holding mechanism that has two thread guiding positions near the needle hole in addition to the thread guide is used.
The operation of letting the thread guided at the three thread guiding positions is a bothersome work for a user of the sewing machine. In addition, the thread holding mechanism and the needle threader are disposed near the sewing needle, and thus it is necessary for the user to carry out a thread guiding operation within a narrow space near the sewing needle. Hence, it is difficult for the user to check the hands and to smoothly let the thread guided.
Still further, the thread guiding operation within the narrow space may cause the user who touches the sewing needle to be injured, and thus there is a demand for a thread holding mechanism and a needle threader with a higher safeness.
The subject matter of the present disclosure has been made in order to address the above-explained technical problems of the conventional technologies, and an objective is to provide a thread holding mechanism of a sewing machine, a needle threader thereof, and the sewing machine which enable a thread guiding operation safely and smoothly, and which can hold the thread with a tension being applied thereto.